Part 15

Two Days Later

1800 Zulu

Bethesda Naval Hospital

Bethesda, Maryland

Harm had been awake for only a few minutes and already his heart was beating a million miles an hour. "Harm?" Turning to look towards the door he saw AJ Chegwidden make his way into the room and sit by his side. "How you feeling?

You've been out for a couple of days."

"Is she. . . Mac?" He couldn't come out and say the words. No matter how many nightmares had told him that she had indeed been taken away from him, he hoped that he had tempted fate into keeping her alive even if it meant that she wanted nothing to do with him.

AJ took a deep breath. "She is alive. . . they don't know how but the wound was superficial."

Harm's eyes widened in shock. It couldn't be. He'd examined the wound and saw how deeply the bullet was lodged inside her. It had been a miracle that she wasn't killed instantly. "Thank God."

"Doctors said that it's nothing short of a miracle. . . she is recovering nicely, they just want to keep her here for observation. She had a pretty

bad blow to her head." AJ said, settling back into the chair.

Harm nodded. "I want to see her, sir. Make sure for myself that she is alive."

AJ shook his head. "She requested that no one be allowed to see her."

"Even you, sir?" Harm said raising his eyebrow.

"Even me."

One Month Later

December 3rd, 2003

2300 Zulu

Harm's Apartment

North of Union Station

Harm settled into his sofa comfortably. Though he had much work to do in regards to Mattie, he needed a day to settle down and relax. He hadn't

heard much from Mac since their current brush with death. The Admiral had her on mandatory down time.

He and Skates were both cleared on any charges regarding the near loss of an F-14. Bad O2 was indeed found to be the culprit and they were lucky to have survived.

Harm had spoken to the Admiral every day about Mac's whereabouts. AJ assured him that if Mac had really wanted to stay, the papers were as go as gone. AJ sympathized with him and hoped that the two would take their heads out of their sixes before it was too late.

Hearing a loud knock on the door, Harm made it across his apartment to find Mac standing on the other side. "Hey, come on in."

"Came to say thank you for saving me. . and. . . goodbye." She said, keeping her coat on as she made it into the living room. "I'm going out of

the country. . . I'll still be working for JAG. . . just not here." She stopped and took a breath as her eyes looked into his. "I'd say to keep in touch, but I guess that may not be the wisest of things."

Harm nodded. "I guess not. And you are welcome."

"I ah. . . need to . . . to tell you something." Mac watched him grab his guitar and hold onto it. There was something eerily familiar about that.

She took a ragged breath and moved closer to him, honing in on his personal space. "I love you, Harm. . . I've loved you for so long."

When he didn't say anything at all, she took it as her sign. Things were

over for real this time. The dynamic duo was no more.

"I don't want you to leave." He said, putting the guitar on his arm chair.

"I need a reason to stay." She said, her eyes meeting his.

"You know the reason."

Mac shook her head and turned to leave. Before she had a chance to, Harm grabbed her and pulled her into his embrace, kissing her lovingly. "I love you, Sarah. . . Please don't go." Their eyes were locked, and Harm cradled her in his arms as she shook her head, trying to protest. "Please. . .

Sarah. . .I'll do anything, just please stay. . . I love you so much I'd sell my soul to keep you with me."

Mac shook her head again. She had orders that she couldn't just put to rest. "But the papers. . .I leave tomorrow."

Harm smirked. "Nope. I had the Admiral put them on hold."

Her eyebrows went up and her head cocked to the side, making him chuckle. "How?"

"Apparently, there was a pool going around in the office as to when you and I would get together. The Admiral took part in it. . ." Wagging his

eyebrows, Harm grinned.

"I don't underst. . ."

Harm interrupted her. "He told me, when I went to rescue you in Paraguay what I would do to keep you. . . And I told him the day we came back from

therapy and every day since then. . . I'd do anything. . . and everything. .. I'd give you the one thing that I've feared to give anyone after Diane

died. . .

"What?" She said softly, almost afraid of his answer.

Smiling, he lowered his head down to her and spoke softly. "My heart. . ."

"Flyboy. . I." He silenced her with an index finger.

"Just promise me something."

"What?" She said dreamily, looking into this eyes.

"Don't break it."

"Never again, Flyboy. . .never again." She said with a smile and brought his head down so that she could kiss him.

Breaking the kiss, he tightened his hold on her. "So what about this past lives business?"

"I think we got a second chance on this one. . ." Grinning, she ran her hands up and down Harm's chest, needing the reassurance that this was not a dream and they belonged together.

Moving out of their embrace, Harm removed her coat and hung it up. Then he walked back to Mac and pulled her towards the sofa with him. "I need to make sure before we start planning for the future."

Mac curled up on his lap and kissed him softly again. "The future sounds nice. How do you plan to make sure?"

"I love you and you love me. . . that's enough to secure our future." He said, confident in his words and finally not afraid to say them.

"Say it again." Mac said in a dreamy voice, getting lost in his eyes as she surrendered to him.

"I love you Sarah. . ." Slowly, he lowered his head and claimed her lips, sealing his words with a kiss.

"In this lifetime and all the others. . . I love you too." She said before they once again explored their lives as lovers. And this time around tragedy didn't take them away from each other. This time, they got their happily ever after.